A Report Card for the Planet

Concept:As a global society, we are healthierand wealthier than at any previoustime in human history. However,not all of our successes have beenwithout consequence and there arestill great challenges ahead for ourglobal family. Objectives:Students will be able to:- Determine whether certain envi-ronmental, social, and economicindicators show improvement ordecline over the past 200 years.- Examine how increases anddecreases in certain populationtrends impact the health and well-being of our global community.- Understand that despite theprogress we’ve made over theyears, there are still many areaswhere we must work to improvethe lives of others and the globalenvironment. Subjects:Civics/Government, Economics,Environmental Science, Geography,Health, History, Mathematics,Science, Social Studies, Women’sStudiesSkills:Critical thinking, interpreting andanalyzing graphs and charts, prob-lem solving, drawing connectionsMethod:Students use the poster, “A QuickTrip to 7 Billion,” to determinewhether progress has been made inkey indicators of human well-beingand environmental health over thepast 200 years, and then discusswhat these changes mean.

©2014 Population Connection A Report Card for the Planet

Introduction:Since people have inhabited the planet, we’ve been altering the worldaround us in order to make communication and transport easier, foodand water more plentiful, and lives healthier and happier. Due to adv-ances in all of these areas, we’ve been able to grow to a family of over7 billion members. We’ve come a long way in our ability to live longer,produce more and travel the globe, but with the world getting evermore crowded, it’s important to think critically about the progresswe’ve made. How are we really doing? Are we all equally benefitting?Do our successes have any drawbacks? How can we continue to makechanges to our world in a sustainable way? In this activity, studentswill write and discuss a “report card” for the planet to explore theprogress that we’ve made, the challenges we still face and the stepswe can take to improve our “grades” to better our future. Materials: “A Quick Trip to 7 Billion” e-posterStudent WorksheetClass sets of “Reporting Cards”Procedure:1. Direct students to our website, www.Worldof7Billion.org/teacher-resources/wall-chart to view the poster. 2. If this is the first time students are viewing the poster, they should spend some time reading through the text on both sides of the poster and interpreting the charts and graphs. Pass out the Student Worksheet.3. Tell students that they will be using the information on the poster (both sides) to decide whether the environmental and quality oflife indicators listed on the worksheet show increase or decline since 1800. Note: Not all of the indicators can be directly found on the poster.

Students will have to use the information from the poster to infer the status of indicators not directly found. 4. In the “Status” column, students should write an↑ for indicators that show an increase and a ↓ for indicators that show a decrease. You may want to remind students that they should be thinking about each indicator on a global scale. 5. After students complete the worksheet, briefly go over the answersas a class and then give each student a set of “Reporting Cards.” 6. Read an indicator, noting whether the status has increased or

©2014 Population Connection A Report Card for the Planet, page 2

decreased over the years. Then and ask students to hold up (all at the same time) the “Reporting Card” that they feel reflects what this trend means for the overall well-being of our global communitypositive impact (+), negative impact (-) or mixed (+/-). For those that have a positive impact, ask your students if they think that the positive trend is felt equally around the globe.8. Ask a few students to share how and why they made their decisions. If necessary, briefly discuss anyany notes in the “Notes” section of the facilitator answer sheet. Repeat this sequence for each indica-tor on the Student Worksheet.Discussion Questions1. Why do you think the population growth rate has slowed overall but remains high in less develope-oped countries?

Many countries have moved through the demographic transition in the past 200 years as they’ve grownand developed. Less developed countries are stuck in stage 2 and 3 of the transition, where death and infant mortality rates are high, education levels are low, and the economy is stagnated– all factors leading to high birth rates and population growth.2. What indicators do you think might be affected as the economies of developing countries grow? Answers could include: higher consumption of meat and paper; more cars; more CO2 in the air due toincreased industry and higher consumption rates; improved access to water and sanitation, higheraverage years of school; a decrease in the global wealth gap.3. The median age in developed countries is higher than in less developed countries. Why might this be? What problems do you think a country with a large elderly population might face?People in developed countries have more sanitary living conditions and have better access to healthcareand doctors and thus tend to live longer lives. Countries that have a larger elderly population than than working population face the challenge of supporting their retired population as they age.4. What might contribute to the decrease in arable land per person that we’ve seen over the years?Increase in urban sprawl; more land being used to grow crops that feed cattle. 5. Are there any indicators on the report card that are connected to each other (as one goes up, so doesthe other and vice versa)?Answers could include: life expectancy and median age; child mortality and birth rates; CO2 emissionsand consumption of energy, meat, and paper; use of fertilizers and ocean dead zones; contraception useand birth rates; childhood immunizations and child mortality rates.

Follow Up Activities:1. Have students choose one indicator from the Student Worksheet and do a research project to learn about the global developments in their chosen area over the past 200 years. 2. Have students choose one (or more) indicators that got a - . Instruct them to work with a partner tobrainstorm steps that could be taken (globally, locally, or individually) to help combat the problem.3. Students create a report card for themselves, their family, their school or community using indicatorsto critique their environmental impact on the planet.

A Report Card for the PlanetStudent WorksheetUse the poster “A Quick Trip to 7 Billion” to decide whether each indicator has increased (↑) ordecreased (↓) over the past 200 years. Write the appropriate arrow in the “Status” column.

Note: While not all of these indicators are listed directly on the poster, there is enough information for you to inferthe status based on the information provided.Indicator Status (↑,↓)Life Expectancy Total Fertility RateChild Mortality RatePopulation Growth RateBirth/Death RatesUrban PopulationMedian AgeCarbon Dioxide EmissionsAtmospheric Concentration of CO2Number of cars in the worldMeat Consumption and Livestock PopulationPaper/Paperboard Consumption“Dead Zones” in the OceansEcological FootprintPopulation Facing Chronic Water ShortagesAverage Years of SchoolInternet Use (and no. of users)Mobile cell phone subscriptionsLifetime Risk of Maternal DeathAccess to Improved Water and SanitationPrevalence of UndernutritionChildhood Immunizations in Least Developed CountriesThe Global Wealth GapAcres of Arable Land per PersonWorld Fertilizer ConsumptionWomen in Political Leadership

A Report Card for the Planet, page 3©2014 Population Connection

A Report Card for the PlanetStudent Worksheet Answers

Indicator Status Report NotesLife Expectancy ↑ Positive Has improved worldwide; in least developed countries, average is still just 61 yearsTotal Fertility Rate ↓ Positive Has improved worldwideChild Mortality Rate ↓ Positive Has improved worldwide, but remains high in developing countries (1 in 13 in least developed)Population Growth ↓ Positive Has slowed, but remains high in developing countries; ourRate global population continues to growBirth/Death Rates ↓ Positive More countries have moved through the demographic tran-sition in recent decadesUrban Population ↑ Mixed Cities provide more infrastructure and services, butunchecked sprawl uses up valuable land; cities that grow too quickly can lack adequate resources and becomeshantytownsMedian Age ↑ Positive On average, people are living longer; in developing count-ries, this progress has slowed in recent yearsCarbon Dioxide ↑ Negative Continues to go up as industrialization increases Emissions worldwideAtmospheric Conc- ↑ Negative Continues to rise steadily, leading to warmer worldwide entration of CO2 temperatures, sea ice melt, more extreme weather, etc.Number of cars in ↑ Mixed Fuel combustion contributes to climate change so more the world cars are not desirable; however, it is also an indication of more rapid development in emerging economiesMeat Consumption ↑ Mixed More land for grazing instead of growing crops and forests; and Livestock high meat diet can cause health problems; in poorer coun-Population tries, more meat consumption may provide needed proteinPaper/Paperboard ↑ Negative Creates more deforestation and wasteConsumption“Dead Zones” in ↑ Negative Lack of oxygen kills marine life. The largest dead zone inthe Oceans the world is in The Gulf of Mexico.Ecological Footprint ↑ Negative Unsustainable use of land and resourcesPopulation Facing ↑ Negative About 35 percent of the world’s people face chronic waterChronic Water shortages. The demand for water is increasing due to agri-Shortage culture, industry and domestic use, as water pollution increasesAverage Years of ↑ Positive But there is still a gender disparity in girls’ schooling rela-School tive to boys’ schooling©2014 Population Connection A Report Card for the Planet, page 4

©2014 Population Connection A Report Card for the Planet, page 7

A Report Card for the PlanetStudent Worksheet Answers

Indicator Status Report NotesInternet Use (and ↑ Positive More global communication and networkingno. of users)Mobile cell phone ↑ Positive More global connectionssubscriptionsLifetime Risk of ↓ Positive But still a long way to go in least developed countriesMaternal DeathAccess to Improved ↑ Positive But have made slower gains in recent years; 1 billion Water and Sanitation people lack access to drinking water; 2.5 billion lack improved sanitation; preventable water-borne illness still claims the lives of 1.5 million children each yearPrevalence of ↓ Positive Still one billion people with chronic hunger in worldUndernutritionChildhood Immun- ↑ Positive There’s been a 50% increase in the number of babies izations in Least immunized for measles and DTP (Diphtheria, Pertussis and Developed Countries Tetanus) in these countries The Global Wealth ↑ Negative Greater disparity of wealth between richest and poorestGap within nations and globallyAcres of Arable ↓ Negative Could become a problem as population growsLand per PersonWorld Fertilizer ↑ Mixed Nitrogen-based fertilizer degrades the nutrients in the soil Consumption over time; more fertilizer use may indicate more agricultu-ral development in the poorest countriesWomen in Political ↑ Positive While there are more women legislators and heads of state Leadership than in past decades, the increase is very small relative to the number of male lawmakers; some countries have quotas to increase female participation, but most do not.

A Report Card for the Planet, page 6©2014 Population Connection

Reporting Cards